Wedding Belles — Say I “DEW”: Bridal Skin + Beauty

Getting ready for your wedding can be stressful. Don’t let your skin suffer for it! Start a skin improvement plan 6-12 months ahead and by all means, consider noncomedogenic, hypoallergenic makeup for your big day so you don’t break out in zits or rashes on the honeymoon!

Lorinda, a good friend of the VMV family, has a contagious love of life and the world. She’s lived in Ghana, Spain, the Netherlands, New York, Brazil and D.C., where she met now-husband Ben, in their last semester at law school. Ben loved Lorinda’s cooking (they later went on a journey to eat their way across the U.S.) and won her heart by digging her car out of two feet of snow with a garden spade. Attended by friends from around the world, their wedding’s relaxed sophistication was rich in laughter and peppered with silly (flash mob to Thriller, anyone?). Such easy grace requires attention to detail. Even Lorinda’s skin wasn’t left to chance. And it shows: no makeup can faux that resplendent a glow!

“I did not ‘prepare’ my skin for the wedding,” writes Lorinda, “I believe that you need good skin care always.” Lorinda is sharing fundamental “skintel”: caring for your skin early on gives you the best results. Starting a regimen weeks before an event is better than nothing, but results can be remarkable if started several months (or more) before. “My favorite is Id Toner. I have been using it for over five years. It evens out my skin and keeps it looking and feeling smooth. If I miss even a few days, I definitely notice a difference.”

An outdoor wedding means sunscreen. “Growing up in Ghana, I was always in the sun. I never thought about sunscreen. I thought that because I was black, I had a natural shield from the sun and did not need to worry about sun damage or skin cancer like my fairer friends.” This is a misconception that can have dangerous consequences. Luckily, Lorinda was disabused of this notion early on. “I realized I was terribly wrong when I went to my first dermatologist appointment and my doctor told me that I had sun spots. I was confused and even tried to explain to her that she had to be mistaken because I was black! She patiently explained to me that I still needed protection.” Since that day, Lorinda says, I always wear sunscreen, at least SPF 30.

After my experience, I tell every darker-skinned person I know that they need sunscreen. We are not immune.

Under makeup, a sunscreen helps with spread and hold. But with such great skin care for years, Lorinda skipped base. “For my wedding, I just made sure to wear Armada Face Cover 30 because it was very sunny outside.” Instead, Lorinda focused on color: “Since my wedding was at dusk, I used bold colors for eyes—a dark sparkling blue and a lighter gold. I felt like it was a lot of makeup but strong colors work in pictures.” The perfect bridal accessory? Rosy cheeks. This wakes up the skin and brings to the fore the beautiful glow that all brides have.